Take My Hand and We'll Make It I Swear
by imtakingallyoudownwithme
Summary: Calamity "Callie" Lestrange is the daughter of renowned death-eater, Bellatrix Lestrange. Once an under confident, chubby girl who took no pride in her appearance, over summer she became the beautiful young lady she was always meant to be (read: she got hot) Ready for her last year of Hogwarts, she crosses paths even more the the Quidditch captain of her house's rival team.


This story is going to follow the books as closely as it can. Everyone is going to be the right age and events are going to happen the same way they do in the book. However, one minor change. Bellatrix is not in Azkaban. Her husband is, but she got out, legally too. This story revolves around her and her daughter's relationship so she's not a fugitive. This is set before the break out, so uh, call it lack of evidence and her husband took the fall for the crimes committed.

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><p>"Look at her Cissy! My beautiful daughter. That's who she is, for the first time in her life. My daughter!" My mother cooed in delight to my aunt, as she stood behind me looking into the mirror, her head on my shoulder.<p>

We were all looking at my appearance in the mirror, which seemed odd when described, but I definitely had changed a lot since this time last year.

The day I had to go to Kings Cross to get the train to school for my sixth year I was fairly tubby. My black hair was shorter with a stupid juvenile fringe running across my face that stopped at my eyebrows, which were caterpillar looking. I didn't care about my appearance one bit so I always had acne, my hair was greasy a lot (at least I had the decency to put it in a ponytail if it were greasy usually, but ponytails did not suit me at all) and when I did wash it I never styled it, so it always ended up dull, limp and sometimes even frizzy. Having a fat face also hid a lot of my face structure too.

I looked down at my wrists, to see some scars still there. My appearance was like an addiction. I could change myself if I wanted to. Others may have dropped hints, or outwardly spoke about the need for change. But in the end it takes a real big push to make big change, mine was psychological and physical torture.

In my world, love didn't exist. Marriage was purely for compatibility reasons. If you could bear your wife or husband, you were lucky. If you could care for them just a little, you were even luckier. I don't know if anyone felt the emotion of "love" towards their mate though, it felt almost impossible to do so in our world. My grandparents on both sides certainly didn't. My mother and father didn't, my aunt and her husband didn't. The only one in my immediate family who loved her husband wasn't even a part of our world any more. She chose her husband and lifestyle over our commonly held beliefs.

Some were able to follow their biological instincts and feel love for their offspring. Aunt Narcissa, who was a perfect pureblood wife and fulfilled every duty she needed to, still felt powerful motherhood love towards Draco, my younger cousin. Her husband Lucius, although very harsh on the young boy still did it because he loved and respected his son and wanted the best life for him, not just because he was obliged to. The Malfoys were compatible because they both had a mutual love for their son.

The Lestranges were known as The Dark Lord's most faithful and passionate supporters. Rodolphus Lestrange was a good servant, and it was well known within the pureblood community that the closest thing to love that Bellatrix Lestrange could feel was serving The Dark Lord. Therefore she did not feel the same feelings towards her daughter Calamity that her sister did for her son. Calamity "Callie" Lestrange. That was me.

It sounded like a dark upbringing, and I guess compared to being bought up by normal loving parents it was. But where my parents neglected me, our house elf Autumn was there for me. It was one of Autumn's many jobs to look after me, which extended to cooking for me. What child wouldn't choose to eat unhealthy treats every night if they could choose? This is what made me tubby as a child.

It was as my mother was seeing me off on the train last year that foreshadowed what was going to happen.

"I swear girl, we're going to be seeing many changes in you this year." She hissed at me just as I was about to step on the train onto a carriage full of fellow Slytherins.

She hissed some more warnings towards me and even held a piece of sharp jewellery on her arm to my neck, and let me go with a light cut on my hand that I didn't feel, but knew was there as blood dripped from it moments later.

I easily forgot her warnings though as I sat with my dorm mates on the train ride to Hogwarts. It wasn't that I didn't get along with my dorm mates or didn't have any friends. I could easily hold conversations with anyone in the house, and failing that I was always able to listen to what they would say. It's just that I didn't find myself close friends with them, and I never understood why. It wasn't even until third year I realised how distant I was with these people who were supposed to be my friends, compared to how everyone from other houses were with each other anyway.

That was another downfall. All the other houses had different friends from different houses, whereas we Slytherins were all alone. I understood why completely, and didn't think anything of it. People were sorted into the houses which would help them the best in life. The different houses had different slogans, goals and beliefs. Although Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor all were different, they weren't too different. Slytherin was just in a whole different world to the others, so it made sense for us to be segregated. I wasn't too interested in being friends with people who went to great lengths to pretend we don't exist either.

It wasn't until Christmas that my mother's warning became a thing. I got the train home, and it was all hugs and kisses in front of Aunt Cissy and Uncle Lucius. But the second we got home, it was off to the dungeon for me. My mother chained me up herself to live in squalid conditions for most of the two weeks I had off school. It was the only time she had really taken an interest in me, and although the daily five minute visits were the only human interactions I had every day, as sadistic as it was, it was the most time I had ever spent with my mother.

That's not to say I didn't hate it, though. It was awful. It was cold, I barely had any food, and I became very ill. My waste was all in a corner, my diet had changed rapidly and my body couldn't take it. The chains left scars on my wrist as they would sometimes cut into me, plus I got sores from where they would rub. This was also accompanied by physical and emotional abuse my mother would inflict when she came in every day.

By the end of the holidays her therapy was complete. I had started to literally go insane, and one thing was for certain. Although I had never been given any orders to disobey before, I would from that point onwards never disobey the ones I were given. Luckily the ones I were given were simple. I had to lose weight during the rest of the school year. I wasn't given a reason why, it was just the order.

There wasn't much choice in order of exercise at Hogwarts. There was no muggle gym equipment around and even if there was, I wouldn't use it. The only thing I really had was a broomstick. Flying was great exercise that incorporated both cardio and weights. There was running starts, and you used your own weight to navigate the broomstick. I had results too, although the kilos dropped slowly, I was toning up at the same time. With half a year at Hogwarts and the entire summer holidays, I was now a normal size.

Over summer I was given more instructions from my mother. I had to learn to be a lady. I was finally given some light on why I suddenly had to be thin and be gorgeous. It was my last year of Hogwarts and my mother wanted me to reel in a pureblood husband to continue our blood line.

It would probably be a lot easier for me now. Although I lost weight during the school year last year, it wasn't very noticeable under my baggy uniform. I also kept the same lame hairstyle, and didn't really give two hoots about my appearance. Over summer, that changed. My mother had my father give me lots of galleons to go to Diagon Alley with our house elf with instructions to change my appearance, and get new clothes, as well as many new beauty products.

My hair was now longer, quite a lot past my shoulders now, nearly halfway down my back. I got it trimmed to eliminate the split ends and I turned the fringe I grew out to a stylish side fringe. I now used the most expensive products money could buy so my acne had vanished.

I was now a shadow of my former self. I was socially acceptable. Hell, in this day and age it may be conceited to actually admit this, but yeah I was attractive. I was a healthy weight. I had barely any imperfections on my face. My large blue eyes now stood out now I didn't have chubby cheeks, and the high cheek bones I had inherited from my mother were now noticeable. My hair that was frizzy when washed and greasy two seconds later now was always sleek and shiny because I took proper care of it.

I was now ready to rule Hogwarts, but the problem was that I just didn't want to. But I knew I had to. Mother knows best, right?

"Who is your target then, Callie?" Aunt Cissy asked, the only one in the family to ever use my nickname.

"Marcus Flint." My mother said, twisted a wicked smile as I tried to keep my face neutral as she answered for me.

Flint was the disgusting excuse of a wizard. He was dumb and he was ugly. There were rumours going around that he had troll blood in him, it was believable but I didn't know if it were true. I was judgmental of him not because of his looks or his intelligence, but his personality and his nature. He was loud, and very mean. The only thing that stopped him from bullying me was the fact that Draco Malfoy was my cousin.

I tried to argue with my mother that somebody, anybody but Marcus Flint was alright, but she wouldn't have a bar of it. I tried to say he had rotten genes, that if we did end up together and producing offspring they would be ugly but she just responded "well he's the last one left in the inner circle, the others have been snapped up and you've lost your chance"

I was working on it though. I could please her for now, and somehow not have to end up with Marcus Flint.

"Time to go make mummy proud." My mum said, grabbing my shoulder tightly as we apparated to a familiar place.

Aunt Cissy and Draco came a short time later, and Dad came a bit after that with my luggage. Draco had left a while ago to talk to his friends, which left me with the adults. I'd go find my acquaintances later.

Nobody seemed to really notice me, I guess I had changed my appearance so drastically no one recognised me and I blended in well enough that no one cared to look the extra few seconds to work out who I was.

Well, no one except for the Weasley twins.

"George, do you see what I see?" One of them said, smiling brightly as they landed in front of my family, completely unafraid of them.

"I do. All that fighting with Wood about the ability to use the Quiddich pitch paid off. You got hot!" The one I guessed was Fred Weasley said, letting out a whistle at the end.

"Don't even attempt it, blood traitor." My mother hissed at the twins, baring her teeth and they just walked away quickly.

The Weasley twins were two twins in the house of Gryffindor a few years below me. They were pretty popular throughout the entire school for the pranks they played, and were part of the very select few who had the guts to stand up to Slytherins. We were often the result of their pranks. I was usually an easy target for their pranks, I was uncomfortable in my own skin and a lot less extreme than the others in my house.

My mother's coldness bought the attention of a few standing by, including the one she wanted the most.

"Oh hi Marcus, how were your holidays?" My mother asked in a sickly sweet voice, obviously put on.

"Hi Mrs Lestrange." Flint replied, putting his hands in his robes and looking down, either out of shyness he was talking to a parent and a member of the Dark Lord's inner circle, or maybe just because it was a female talking to him.

"You remember my daughter Calamity, don't you?" My mother asked him, gesturing towards me.

"Uh…y-yeah I do. I don't remember her looking so…" Flint started, and I wanted to face palm about the fact he actually went as far as to really go there.

"Yes she's blossomed into a beautiful young lady over the summer holidays, hasn't she? Would you be ever so kind as to carry her baggage onto the train and into the carriage you'll be sitting in? She'll come in straight after you, I just need to say goodbye to my darling daughter as I won't be seeing her again until Christmas." Mother said to Flint, who was only too happy to oblige as he easily hoisted my bags onto the train.

"There you go. Everything else is up to you. I will be receiving owls about your progress, won't I?" Mother asked, putting her hands on my shoulders and digging her long nails in to the point I felt the skin break and was sure blood was seeping into my dark robes.

"Of course, mother." I said trying to sound confident, ignoring the pain.

"Then we're all good. See you at Christmas, darling." My mother sarcastically laughed, using her sickly sweet voice from before as I flashed one last look at her before stepping on the train, noticing that Flint was waiting for me.

I smiled and thanked him as I took my bags, and followed him into whatever compartment he was going to choose.


End file.
